1908 Fisher Catholic Club for Boys and Young Men founded by Mr Norman Potter as a club for Catholic working boys and young men. It was named the Fisher Club in memory of St John Fisher. It was supported by the Fisher Society – the Catholic Society at Cambridge University. The first location of the club was an old engineering shop in Rose Court and was entirely staffed by volunteers.1912 Fr Stephen Rawlinson, a Downside monk and chaplain to the Fisher Catholic Club, persuaded the Abbot and Community at Downside School near Somerset to take over responsibility for the Club. The under-18 Club members moved to premises in Bevington Street (half a mile east of the present premises) and renamed the Downside Club. The combined Clubs became the Downside Settlement, supported by subscriptions from Old Gregorians (OGs: ex-Downside pupils). Numbers grew rapidly and the Downside Club moved to Marine Street nearby. The main activities were football and boxing.1913 Sid Smith becomes world flyweight champion. First Summer Camp at Downside Abbey, Somerset.1914 Club closed at outbreak of WWI (Fr Stephen becomes Chaplain in the Irish Guards).1919 Club reopens. Lieutenant, Commander Freddy Kirkpatrick starts involvement with the Club which is to last 20 years. Fr Stephen returns to the Club.1923 Fr Stephen prevails upon his OG supporters to buy premises in Fair Street. It contained a boxing gym, a shooting range, and activity rooms for the seniors (aged 14+) and juniors (11 to 14).1933 Downside School transfers its junior school to Worth School in Sussex. The junior section of the Club was renamed the Worth Club. Weekend camps were held in a converted cowshed on the Worth estate. The Club is now known as ‘the Downside Fisher Worth Boys Club’.1936 First constitution adopted and the Downside Settlement incorporated as a company limited by guarantee. 1939 Club closes for the duration of WWII, Fr Stephen again becoming a Forces chaplain. The local Catholic church and presbytery were bombed, killing all but one of the clergy and assistants; the club building became the temporary church and presbytery until the new church was built.1946 Abbot Trafford appointed resident Downside monk in Bermondsey. Club is run by the Catholic clergy on a day-to-day basis.1955 Clergy move back into the rebuilt church and presbytery, and there is no-one to run the Club.1958 Paul Cautley, a Downside school leaver, comes to the Club and, with the help of his Downside contemporaries revitalises the Club. The Club becomes affiliated to the London Federation of Boys’ Clubs (LFBCs) and the National Association of Boys’ Clubs (NABCs). A Club Leader is appointed, paid for by the ILEA youth service. ‘Tommy’ Thompson is appointed as the Worth Club Leader, a task he carried out for 25 years.1960 The club saw members go to the 1960 Olympics in Rome. John Ould, Philip Lundgren and James Lloyd all boxed for their country, and Lloyd also won a bronze medal.1961 Terry Downes wins the World Middleweight Boxing Championship.1968 Club member Michael Carter boxed in the Mexico Olympics.1970 Bob McGhee begins a 15-year period as Club Leader. Southwark Council serves a compulsory purchase order on the Club and agrees to pay ‘compulsory reinstatement compensation’ which meant providing the funds to build a building with the same facilities. The Club is offered adjacent larger freehold site, and builds a Club modelled on American boys’ clubs; a swimming pool, a large sports and multi-purpose hall and other activity areas including a specialised Boxing Gym and leaders accommodation are included. Building costs are financed by the compensation award, a grant from the ILEA, a 30-year loan from Southwark Council and an Appeal which raised £60,000.1974 The Club opens, hailed as the finest Boys’ Club building in the country. In the next 20 years the Club went from strength to strength. Downside teams and boys won most of the London Federation sporting and other trophies. Sporting Fixtures were arranged against Downside and Worth Schools. An Assistant Club Leader was appointed and instructors employed to teach and supervise activities. The Club became a show-piece for the LFBC and the NABC both of which staged meetings and events at the Club. The Downside School relationship was strengthened and the annual camps at Downside at the end of the summer term became a regular and much loved feature. 1979 The Football Trust donates £60,000 to enclose what had previously been an exposed Club roof play area. 1983 Abolition of the ILEA. Southwark Council is unable to award grant-aid to support the Club and the Club is forced to appeal to charitable sources for funds.1986 Lloyd Honeyghan becomes World Welterweight Boxing Champion, trained by Steve Hiser who remains our Boxing Coach to the present day.2004 Girls (who had for some years had a ‘girls only’ night once a week) are admitted as full Club members.2006-2008 Major refurbishment of the building takes place, with the help of the national charity and social enterprise, Training for Life, who raised much of the finances required for the capital rebuild in return for a long-term lease and shared use of the building. 2012 Training for Life go into receivership and the running of the building returns to Downside Settlement.